Cucumber Vodka Gimlet

The vodka gimlet is my drink. Has been for years. And it doesn't even have to be fancy. Vodka and Rose's Lime Juice on the rocks is perfect, especially when made for me by my husband Jeff. But so much sugar. As for fancy ones, my favorite is the Market Gimlet, made with cucumber vodka, at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Cucumber in cocktails = so refreshing.

Anyhow, I recently decided it was time to make a less sugary vodka gimlet inspired by the cocktail I used to have while on biz trips to the West Coast. I opted to do this on a Tuesday afternoon. And why not? That's the beauty of working from home and being the boss.

XOXO,
Amy

Cucumber Vodka Gimlet
(Makes two gimlets)
6 ounces vodka
8 slices seedless cucumber (or regular cucumber with seed section removed)
1 ounce fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar (granulated or powdered)

Muddle the cucumber with the sugar in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. (I used the handle of a wooden spoon.) Add the rest of the ingredients and half a cup of ice. Shake vigorously and strain into two glasses. Garnish with slices of cucumber or a lime wedges.

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Skip and Go Naked on Independence Day

As I write this post, I'm about to head to my home state -- Ohio -- to spend the Fourth of July with my family. There's a chance we will celebrate with our favorite summer drink, the Skip and Go Naked -- talk about Independence (Day)! The Skippy is the perfect way to beat the heat. No fancy ingredients required. Check it out.

XOXO, Amy

Pomegranate Wine Spritz

Friday ended a loooooong week at work (but aren't they all?) and marked the end of summer as the kids head back to school today. To honor these events, on Friday evening, I made happy-hour-in-the-'hood drinks for me and my neighbor Judith. I guess you could say I was inspired by Andrea's Watermelon Raspberry Rum Punch.

Cheers, y'all!

XOXO,
Amy

Pomegranate Wine Spritz

POM Wonderful juice
Vodka
Sparkling white wine, chilled

Add one ounce of POM to each Champagne flute, followed by one ounce of vodka that you pulled from your freezer. (Tell me you DO store the vodka in the freezer.) Fill flutes the rest of the way with sparkling white wine. Stir gently; I used a chopstick.

If desired, pour some POM (just POM) in a shot glass for your 6YO so she can enjoy an end-of-summer "cocktail," too.

Skippy (aka Skip and Go Naked)

I love when I get to hang out with my Ohio family. We play cards, usually euchre, gin and knock poker, while drinking Skippies. The Skippy is short for Skip and Go Naked. But I can assure you that we are fully clothed -- if not fully sober -- while partaking.

And it turns out we are not alone. Just Google "Skip and Go Naked" and you will find plenty of recipes, some called "Hop, Skip and Go Naked."

Also, ask your friends if they have heard of this frozen limeade/beer/vodka concoction. Andrea and Erin have pals in Illinois and Wisconsin respectively who refer to this drink as the Strip and Go Naked. If I had to guess, I would say all this nakedness has to do with the Skippy being the perfect drink in the heat of summer. (Hello, it's approaching 100 degrees in Charlotte as I write this!)

The traditional Skippy -- at least in my family -- is made of limeade, beer, and vodka. However, I do like the Skippy with cranberry, beer and vodka. If you are looking for a poor man's margarita, make a limeade, beer and tequila Skippy.

About the beer: think cheap, canned, all American beer. Absolutely do NOT waste your craft brews on the Skippy.

XOXO,
Amy

Skippy (aka Skip and Go Naked)

6 oz. frozen limeade (or pink lemonade or cranberry)
6 oz. cheap beer
6 oz. vodka (or tequila)
Ice (amount varies by taste)

Blend together equal parts of limeade, beer, and booze along with the right amount of ice for you and your fellow Skippy drinkers. How slushy do you like your Skippy? How strong? Only you know the answer. Experiment -- that should turn out well!

Ideally, you can find a 6 ounce can of limeade concentrate, but they are hard to find. That's what works best; you dump the entire thing into the blender and then fill the empty can up with beer and toss that in the blender, and repeat with the booze of your choice. Most standard home blenders will accommodate 6 ounces -- max! -- of each of the main ingredients (limeade, beer, and booze), allowing plenty of room for ice. The Vitamix might be roomy enough for a bigger batch; I'll have to try that.

Another thing to try: One of Andrea's friends makes her Skippies over ice and to cut down on the limeade -- which has a ton of sugar -- she uses some lime-flavored La Croix sparkling water.



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Mint Julep

Happy Derby Week, y'all! It's that time of year when I always miss my Old Kentucky Home. It's also that time of year when I wish I liked the mint julep, the traditional drink that honors the fastest two minutes in sports. This former Kentuckian likes mint, likes bourbon. But the combo has always been...meh. The hubby, who I met and married in Lexington, KY, has always agreed. Until now and I will get to that.

As Kentucky journalists, Jeff and I worked a few Derby Days and at the end would "reward" ourselves with a sickly sweet julep at Churchill Downs. Flash forward 15ish years and I finally decided to make the julep myself.

Y'all I love this julep. Maybe that's because I added in a few basil leaves. Maybe it's just because I made one expressly for me and hubby rather than consuming one made en masse at Churchill. I am sharing this with you just in time for you to hit the liquor store and make your own juleps to sip during Saturday's big race. Hurry -- those ponies aren't going to wait on you!

XOXO,
Amy

PS: Jeff said "this is the best mint julep I have ever had."

Mint Julep
Adapted from thebar.com
Makes 12 cocktails

15 ounces bourbon
30 mint leaves, plus extra mint for garnish
6 (or more) basil leaves
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Ice

Wash mint and basil leaves, pat dry and place in a small bowl.

Cover leaves with 3 ounces of bourbon and let soak for 15 minutes.

Remove mint and basil leaves from bourbon and place in cotton cloth. Wring leaves over the bowl with the bourbon. Dip the cloth back into the bourbon and repeat a couple times. Really bruise the leaves. This is your mint extract.

For a mintier extract, put the bruised leaves into the bourbon; otherwise, leave as is. Set extract aside.

Now make your simple syrup. Bring one cup of water to a boil and stir in one cup of sugar. As soon as sugar dissolves, remove from heat and let sit -- covered -- for one hour.

Combine mint extract and simple syrup in a glass jar or container. Seal the jar and refrigerate overnight. BTW, if you kept the mint leaves in your mint extract, you will want to strain them when combining with the simple syrup or before mixing your julep.

Fill rocks glasses with ice and one ounce of bourbon. Add marinated julep mixture to taste -- more if you want a sweeter julep and less if you don't. Garnish with sprig of mint. Enjoy!